Arrest of Keralite Priest, Wife and 12 Others in Nagpur Triggers Protests, Political Outcry

Nagpur, Dec 31, 2025: Protests have erupted across parts of Maharashtra following the arrest of 12 people, including a Malayali priest and his wife, on charges of forced conversion.

Father Sudhir, a priest attached to the CSI South Kerala Diocese Nagpur Mission, and his wife Jasmine were taken into custody by the police while a Christmas prayer meeting was underway in Nagpur on Tuesday night. They were taken to the police station and subsequently arrested.

The police later arrested others who came to the station to enquire about the matter. The case was registered by the Benoda police based on a complaint filed by Bajrang Dal activists. A separate case has also been registered against those who visited the police station to meet the arrested persons.

Speaking in Kottayam, Bishop Koshy said the action amounted to a “blatant violation of constitutional freedoms.” Referring to the priest’s long-standing ministry, he said, “Fr. Sudheer has been serving in Maharashtra’s Nagpur for the past 12 years, focussing on educating children and supporting local communities.”

The Bishop noted that the priest’s work had played a significant role in the development of several villages and stressed that the activities cited by authorities were limited to Christmas-related worship services. Condemning the police action, he said, “The CSI Bishops’ Council strongly condemns this police action.”

The development came a day after bishops met the Vice-President of India, urging intervention against attacks on Christians. Bishop Koshy also called on the ruling political party to respond firmly.

Warning against inaction, he said, “The silence of political leadership and the government in the face of attacks on Christians sends the wrong message to the perpetrators,” adding, “Such inaction, especially when a response is needed, indirectly encourages these actions.”

The CSI Church has assured full legal assistance to those affected and said it is closely monitoring “such wrongful actions across India.”

Political leaders in Kerala have also expressed serious concern over the incident. In a social media post, Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, termed the arrests deeply disturbing and alleged that they reflected a continuing pattern of targeting minorities to create polarisation. “This follows a worrying pattern by the Sangh Parivar of targeting minorities to fuel polarisation, as seen earlier in Jabalpur. Such actions undermine constitutional freedoms,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan has written to both the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, raising concerns over constitutional violations. “This incident raises serious concerns about the violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, particularly the freedom to profess, practise, and propagate religion. Arresting individuals for conducting a peaceful prayer meeting is unconstitutional and contrary to the spirit of our democratic and secular values,” he wrote.

It is reported that all those arrested are currently being held at the Benoda police station and are likely to be produced before a court soon. Although representatives of the Church of South India attempted to secure bail at the police station, they were directed by the police to approach the court. They were not provided with a copy of the First Information Report.

Father Sudhir is a native of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and has been in Maharashtra for the past five years. Of the remaining ten arrested, all are natives of Maharashtra.

Courtesy: The Hindu